Throughout the month of
October, we’re publishing your stories about bullying to spread awareness and
stomp it out. Here’s a totally true tale from a real girl just like you.

Stick Up by Kristen

Middle school can be a brutal place. Scary, intimidating
kids walk around, bullying every kid in sight that was either short, had
braces, glasses or was bigger. There was once a time I got so irritated by a bully
that I stood up for the victim. I'm not great at standing up for others or
myself, either.

It was recess, where there isn't that much supervision.
Trevor M. walked up to Emily C. n her birthday and called her fat, ugly,
stupid and other words that shouldn't be repeated. Emily was so upset, she
started crying, and I have never seen her cry. Trevor put a grin on his face,
which made me even more angry. I ran up to Trevor and confronted him. I knew
that he was insecure and he just felt that hurting other people would make him
feel more powerful, but that's not how it should be. I told him Emily is
stunning. She's one of the smartest girls I know, and she is not fat, in fact,
she's quite skinny. Trevor's eyes widened while Emily stopped crying. I thought
that Trevor would do something mean to me for sticking up for Emily, but all he
did was walk away, pouting. I was proud of myself. I didn't know I had that in
me! Emily and I left the playground feeling better than ever.

If people would stick up for each other and stick up for
themselves, we could end bullying for good. I've pledged to myself that if I am
ever in a bullying situation, I would stick up for myself, or if I see someone
else getting bullied, I'll stick up for them.

Ready to share your own
story about being bullied, being the bully or stepping in to stomp out
bullying?Email it to youwroteit@girlslife.com
and put "Stomp Out Bullying" in the subject. We’ll be picking stories
to feature on girlslife.com all October long to spread awareness. Please
include your first name, last initial and age. If you want your story published
anonymously, just let us know!

Win big!We’re also giving away 3 copies of Chicken
Soup for the Soul: Just for Preteens. All you have to do to enter
is send us your story—you’ll be automatically entered to win. Sorry! One entry
per person, even if ya send in multiple stories. The winners will be chosen
randomly and emailed for their mailing address so we can send you your prize.